Excess Baggage
by Malicious Ink
Summary: A oneshot, from Sora's point of view. I remember his death like it just happened the other day. I remember the funeral as if I had just returned from it.


**Disclaimer: **I do not own Kingdom Hearts nor do I own any of the characters in this story.

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_"I left you with nothing…_

_Nothing to live for..." _

Sadly, that's true. At least, I think that's what he'd be saying.

**.x.x. **

As I lie in my bed staring out the fog covered window, I can't help but think that today is going to be horrible. It's only a minute past midnight, but I can already tell by the date, nothing good will happen today. Which leads me to question, should I just stay in bed all day?

Today will make it a year since the day that brought nothing but pain into my life. Until that day, I never thought I would ever face something so unbearably agonizing. Of course, no one really thinks of their best friend dying, now do they? Or at least they don't think of how much grief it would cause them and how many times they'll think about wanting to die.

I remember his death like it just happened the other day. I remember the funeral as if I had just returned from it. It's all so fresh in my mind and it truly hurts me whenever I think about it. The thing that hurts the most about remembering it is the fact that I was there and I remember it in complete detail.

It was the day before Halloween and the sky looked as if it was filled with water that had once been full of soap. It was so cold that day that you could catch pneumonia just thinking about it; I'm surprised it didn't snow.

Kairi and I had to stay after school to finish a project, so we couldn't walk home with Riku that day. When we explained things to him he hadn't even offered to wait for us as usual nor did he say anything to us. He just waved and began to walk to his house.

When I returned home my mother asked me where Riku was. I shrugged and asked her why she was asking me. That's when it hit me. We had made plans to go down to the mall that had just been built on the biggest island. I'm not sure if I made him mad or not. If I did though, that would explain the silence earlier.

So I decided to go to his house. When I found that no one was home I went to check the islet we hung out on all the time, with Kairi. That was where I found him. He was standing in the water, which was ice cold by the looks of it. I decided I was going to sneak up on him and tackle him. When I moved toward him, stepping into the water, I found out that it was indeed ice cold. In fact, it was beginning to freeze.

Every now and then I wonder, was Riku insane?

I had quickly moved out of the water and called to him, but failed, due to my chattering teeth. That was when I heard it, the crack of a gun firing, the sound that will continue echoing through my head, keeping me tied to one emotion forever.

When I heard it, I was confused at first, but then when I saw silver hair fly up into the air, followed by blood, I knew what had happened. I stood there, shaking, as my best friend fell into the icy water creating a huge splash.

After a few seconds of staring at the water, I ran out to him. I had a hard time pushing my way through the ice that had been forming as well as the piles of golden leaves that were floating within it. By the time I got out to him, it was too late. He had swallowed too much water and he was gone.

I stood there for a few moments, holding him by the shoulders, trying to wrap my mind around the fact that I would never hear his voice again. I was trying to get myself to believe that the body that was in my arms was no longer alive, no longer breathing, and just an empty shell.

Then there was a loud crack of thunder, followed by rain. Was the sky crying for my loss?

I fell to my knees, cracking the ice that surrounded me, and joined the sky in crying. As I cried for the last time, I let my best friend fall into the water, and drift toward the shore. I sat there for about a half an hour, waves crashing up against my body, allowing my clothes to practically freeze around me and my skin to turn blood red underneath.

**.x.x.**

The funeral was small and quiet. I would not talk to anyone, not even Kairi. I listened to a preacher give the same heartless speech he probably gave at every funeral. I listened to him talk about how my best friend, whom he had never met, was taken before his time by a mass murderer, who shall be sentenced to death. I listened to him lie about how he was in a better place and how he'll be happier there.

After the funeral I went to my room and thought about how, if only I had tackled him in the water like I had intended to, or even just called his name, he would probably still be here. Or even if I had just made enough noise to cause him to turn to face me; maybe he would have moved to the side a bit?

**.x.x.**

Now, a year later, even though my body is numbed by the cold that is seeping in through the curtain-less window, I can still feel pain throughout every fiber of my being. I can still see his pale, lifeless body, and the bullet hole that was in his chest clearly; even though I am staring at the window, which is glazed with fog.

And for some reason, I can't help but blame myself.

* * *

**Author's Note: **Riku is my favorite character in the series, but for some reason, I had to write something that I would find sad, so don't even start, please. 


End file.
